Tag Archives: Lighting

The buzz this year at CES has been around 3D TVs, Ultrabooks and Windows 8, but what caught my attention came from a company once known for their batteries, Energizer. Moving well beyond that stereotype, Energizer showcased a whole portfolio of products that meet the power needs of a wide range of devices you depend on. One product in particular that I never would have, but should have, associated Energizer with was a line of lighting products for the home.

I say I should have because Energizer informed me that they have been in the lighting business for more than 110 years making a variety of flashlights including ones for everyday use to ones used by military professionals. It only makes sense that they use their advanced lighting technology for a line of household lights.

And advanced it is. So far, two collections, The Glas and Edge Collections, have launched. The line I saw first-hand at CES was The Edge Collection and not only does it have a sleek look, but the technology built into each light is pretty interesting. Developed with the latest in LED technology, the collection uses advanced circuitry and optics to create an integrated lighting system that enhances your environment, creating just the right ambiance. What is really cool is that you never have to replace the LEDs.

You know it’s the future when America has a black president, Oprah isn’t on anymore and stuff is levitating all over the place. This lamp is yet another example. Look closely at the picture above (or play the video below) and you’ll notice the upper section of this lamp isn’t attached to anything. It’s called Silhouette #1 and will cost you 1,000 Euros. For that price you get a lot of levitation but not that much lighting, as the LED based lamp puts out a puny 300lux.

Well actually, we’re not really sure if 300 lux is a lot of not. We just assumed it isn’t. Any engineers in the crowd?

Before anyone gets too excited about the prospect of finally finding a way to easily turn a roman candle into a handheld ‘flaming ball of pain’ launcher, let me dash those dreams. This handheld fireworks projector is actually designed for kids, so safety standards and lawyers pretty much guarantee it’s not going to be as fun as the name implies. Instead, it simply projects images of fireworks, one of eight as selected on the rotating barrel. But it’s not completely boring.

The projector features a pump action handle which ‘launches’ a shell, complete with mortar-like sound effects and a whistling trail sound as it races across the sky… of your imagination. Squeezing the trigger then detonates the shell/projects the selected fireworks image with accompanying booms, crackles and whistles. It’s powered by 3xAA batteries which is probably one of the reasons it only has a projectable range of about 5 feet. Lame? Yes. Far safer than a handheld device that launches actual fireworks? Probably also yes. Available from Hammacher Schlemmer for $39.95.

The problem with minimalist design aesthetics is that you often pay for what you don’t get. Case in point, this sleek iDevice dock/table lamp known as the Flos. Designed by Philippe Starck with Eugene Quitllet, just above a downward pointing array of LED lights is a dock connector and support that lets you both prop up and sync/charge your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. And the only thing more minimal than its design is its feature list. You can’t adjust the angle of your device, nor can you dock it in a landscape orientation. And you’ll pay ~$409(£253) for the privilege of not being able to do so.

At one time if you wanted a handheld flashlight with enough lumens to stop a deer in its tracks you had to settle for a long Maglite filled with D-sized batteries, or a lantern like solution tethered to a massive 12-volt battery. But then LEDs came along, and now you can get a flashlight as compact as the SureFire UB3T Invictus that kicks out an impressive 800 lumens at its highest setting. Of course that much output will eat through the batteries in just 1.7 hours, so thankfully the it also has 8 selectable brightness levels, with the lowest giving you about 150 hours of illumination.

The UB3T Invictus’ housing, with its ‘CombatGrip’ design, is machined from high-strength aerospace aluminum, and besides a high lumen output the beam can also be switched to a strobe for “tactical applications” or used as an SOS beacon in emergencies. It even has a battery ‘fuel gauge’ so you have a rough idea how long it will last before it needs to be recharged. So it’s not surprising that SureFire is asking $695 for it.

As its creator Nathan Bergey points out: “The International Space Station (ISS) is a marvel of current technology and humanity. It’s a continuously inhabited orbital outpost, floating in space just over our heads. But often we forget it’s there.” So as a constant reminder, and a great way to know when you might actually have a chance of seeing it pass overhead, he created this ISS Notify lamp which lights up and remains glowing as long as the station is more than 10 degrees above the horizon.

The actual data for when the ISS passes overhead (for wherever on Earth you may be) is gleaned from a website called Heavens-Above which already does all of the calculations for the station’s orbit, which can occasionally change unpredictably. And because the ISS is designed to benefit all of mankind, Nathan was also kind enough to post everything you’d need to build your own ISS Notify lamp (minus the hardware) on GitHub.

Inspired by the music video for Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, designer Roberto Paoli created these faux backyard stepping stones that are lit from within. Their soft glow can be used to illuminate or draw attention to a garden area, or simply make it easier for someone to navigate your backyard in the dead of night. Unfortunately unlike the magical tiles in Michael Jackson’s video these steps don’t specifically light up when stepped or danced on, but they are a slick alternative to the more traditional individual lights that landscapers often use to illuminate walkways. As for pricing and availability? According to Ballerhouse you should be able to get them from Serralunga, an Italian design shop, but I haven’t had much luck finding them on their site.

Instead of turning a crank or awkwardly shaking it to squeeze a few minutes of illumination out of it, the Lightstarter flashlight takes the Survivorman approach by having you rub it between your hands as if you were starting a fire with a stick. Of course we all know that starting a fire in the wild isn’t quite that easy, but it’s a nice throwback to times when fire was really are our only artificial source of light. And like other dynamo powered flashlights the Lightstarter will run longer the more effort you put into it. Three seconds of rubbing gives you about thirty seconds of illumination, while a full minute rewards you with up to ten minutes of light.

Unfortunately at the moment the Lightstarter is just a concept waiting for partnership or purchase, so you’ll probably be better off actually finding a pair of sticks and starting a fire yourself than waiting for this to go into production.

Do you know how many people it takes to change the lightbulb on the Peg lamp designed by Steffi Min? Just one dammit! It’s shaped and works like an over-sized clothespin so there’s no screwing or anything like that involved. You just squeeze it open, stick a bulb inside the clampy bit and then close it. The bulb’s metal base will then touch the necessary electrical contacts inside making it light up. It also seems impossible to break the bulb when installing/uninstalling it because the usual forces from screwing are completely gone. And since it’s part of Steffi Min’s industrial design senior thesis, it’s also impossible to buy since I’m sure this version is just a one-off.

OhGizmo! is a frequently updated blog that focuses on covering items that will appeal to a very specific and often very passionate audience: the geek. Aside from the fare of innovative consumer electronic products, the reader can expect to find news about geek culture, absurd inventions, awe inspiring technology, and an ever growing assortment of articles that we like to think fit within our view of what we’re calling the Geek Lifestyle.